There’s something extra nice about opening a Clemson Tigers Baseball season with seven straight wins. Coach Bakich often talks about how his team will face adversity over the course of a game, a series, and a season and that how they respond to that adversity will ultimately tell the story of how successful the season can be.
The Tigers have already faced their share of adversity in a few games over the opening two weeks. Thankfully, all Clemson victories. That’s an encouraging sign of what could be ahead once the schedule tightens and the season really starts to grind.
This is a huge week for Tiger baseball, as they welcome in Presbyterian College for a mid-week matchup before diving headfirst into the best rivalry in all of college baseball against South Carolina over the weekend. But first! Let’s talk PC!
The Tigers enter the matchup riding a three-game sweep of Army, a dominant mid-week win over Charlotte, and another hard-fought sweep of Bryant University. Once again, pitching was the backbone of the Tigers through the first seven games. The bats are still a little slow to fully catch up, but with this lineup, it feels less like an if and more like a when they start producing at the level fans expect.
Offensively, Clemson has still been led by Nate Savoie, who cooled off slightly over the weekend but is still scorching the baseball at a .481 clip. Luke Gaffney raised his average after a big weekend at the plate, now hitting .500 on the season, and added a home run against Bryant. Jack Crighton has quietly continued to deliver hits in big moments. There’s something to be said for consistency, and Crighton has brought that throughout his entire career. Savoie, Tryston McCladdie, and Jacob Jarrell all have multiple home runs through seven games.
Through seven games, Clemson is hitting .345 as a team and has tallied 13 doubles and 12 home runs while driving in 52 runs, good for an average of 7.4 runs per game.
On the mound, Clemson received quality starts from Aidan Knaak and Michael Sharman. Talan Bell was extended a bit in game three and took a few bumps along the way, but it’s still very early. It would not be surprising to see Drew Titsworth pushed into a starting role next weekend against the Gamecocks.
The Presbyterian Blue Hose enter the mid-week game at 2–6 overall, having dropped their last six games after opening the season 2–0. The Blue Hose played three different opponents over the weekend at their home field in Clinton, SC.
The Blue Hose are hitting .248 as a team and have collected seven doubles and nine home runs in their first eight games. Redshirt junior left fielder Amman Dewberry leads the PC offense, hitting .438 with three home runs and 13 RBI, while sophomore third baseman Matthew Rollison leads the team in batting average at .550.
On the mound, the Presbyterian pitching staff carries an 8.33 ERA through eight games. The staff has struck out 65 batters but has also issued 43 walks, allowing opponents to hit .319.
Here is a look at the Presbyterian College Blue Hose:
Presbyterian Blue Hose
Location: Clinton, SC
Head Coach – Elton Pollock (22nd Season)
2026 Record: 2-6 (0-0 Big South)
Wins: Akron (x2)
Losses: Akron (x2), Elon, NJIT, Northern Illinois, Valparaiso
Here are the probable starting lineup for Presbyterian and their opening series stats:
Position Players
| Name (#) | Year | Position | 2026 Stats |
| Bo Moody (18) | Freshman | SS | .318; 2B, 3 RBI; 2-2 SB |
| Jonathan Williams (24) | Freshman | 2B | .241; 2B, HR, 2 RBI |
| Amman Dewberry (35) | RS Junior | RF | .438; 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 13 RBI; 1-2 SB |
| Caden Mason (10) | Junior | C | .238; 2B, HR, 3 RBI |
| Emory Guilford (27) | RS Sophomore | LF | .185; 3 HR, 8 RBI; 1-1 SB |
| Matthew Rollison (15) | Sophomore | 3B | .550; 2B, RBI; 1-3 SB |
| Mikah Conner (12) | Junior | CF | .158; HR, 4 RBI; 2-3 SB |
| James Green (1) | Junior | DH/OF | .125; RBI; 1-1 SB |
| Brody Linker (21) | Sophomore | 1B | .250 |
Announced Starter
| NAME (#) | Year | Hand | 2026 Stats |
| Tucker Meredith (20) | Freshman | LHP | 0-0; 0.00 ERA; 1 app. 1 IP, K; OppBA: .000 |
Parting Thoughts
The Tigers and Presbyterian play most years against each other and usually at DKS since 2008. The Blue Hose last defeated the Tigers 8-7 in 2019.
Clemson will start Freshman righty Dylan Harrison on Tuesday. The tall right hander has thrown 4.1 innings on the young season and looked pretty sharp in the opening game of the year in relief of Aidan Knaak. Three strikeouts and no walks to start the year and opponents are hitting .294 against the young arm.
First pitch is scheduled for Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
